A Supernatural Chat with Adam Glass and Robbie Thompson

Share This Story!

Although I was introduced to Adam Glass through his fearless handling of Harley Quinn and King Shark in SUICIDE SQUAD, many know him for SUPERNATURAL episodes, like the recent “As Time Goes By”—widely seen as a new beginning for the still-popular television series. At the DC booth over Comic-Con weekend, Glass could hardly be found without two men by his side: Robbie Thompson, fellow writer for SUPERNATURAL, and Aidan, Glass’s enthusiastic son.|

Famous Monsters. I’m going to ask the predictable question first. Having written in both mediums, how does writing for comics differ from writing for television, and do you prefer one over the other?

Adam Glass. I think telling a good story is all that matters. The only difference is in the pacing. In some ways, comics and TV are very similar because you’re telling the story in a certain amount of time. An issue is like an episode. So when you’re doing a story arc, you give a little bit but stretch it out over the course of the book, just like you would on a TV show. I dig both a lot. I like both a lot.

Robbie Thompson. What he said!

FM. Fair enough. Any plans to return to comics any time soon?

RT. Yes, please!

AG. Only if it’s a Robdam comic.

RT. I would love to. I’ve only done a little bit in comics, but I’m trying to peer pressure him into it. I like reading his books.

FM.As do I! I thought your run on SUICIDE SQUAD was great.

AG. Thank you so much. I think I’m at that point in my life when I want to enjoy my kids as much as I can, and I would do a comic if it were a character that we loved! [to his son Aidan] If they came at me with Batman or Daredevil, it’d be hard to say no. But I’d have to love it.

FM.I remember we had a conversation once about dealing with fangirl anger over the whole Harley Quinn hooking up with Deadshot thing. As we all know, SUPERNATURAL fans are just as crazy!

AG. Crazy cool…

RT. Passionate! I say passionate. We don’t want them to come after us. [laughs]

FM.What’s your attitude in approaching storytelling, knowing that you’re taking on these characters that people are so invested in? It probably doesn’t scare you at all, does it?

RT. Personally, I think it’s inspiring. You want to write something that people care about. In the case of SUPERNATURAL, people just love the show. Sometimes you write something and you’re like, wow, they are definitely going to react… either positively or negatively… but their reaction to watching means they’re invested. I find it inspiring. It’s exciting.

AG. It just shows how much the fans care. If they care that much, be it positive or negative, the fact that they’re still reading or watching it means something. I agree with Robbie on that.

FM. Cool! So I have a note here. Someone I know is obsessed with SUPERNATURAL, and she told me to ask about the “Samulet”.

RT. [laughs] Excuse me! I think you mean the Robulet, because I am now in possession of it.

AG. He’s wearing it right now!

RT. I’m wearing it. I can’t show it to you for legal reasons. [laughs] … and for reasons.

FM.For reasons!

RT. We get a lot of tweets about bringing the Samulet back. And I personally would like to see the Samulet back. It means a lot to the brothers themselves. Whether or not we have anything actively in the works, well, we can’t give away any spoilers, but… we’ve talked about it, and that was this year.

Dean (Jensen Ackles) wearing the “Samulet”.

AG. Behind every symbol like that is a great story.

RT. So if we find a great story for the Samulet, then yes. Better known as the Robulet, of course. We will then make something happen. We’re aware of how much it means to people, and it means something to us, too. But it’s like what Adam said—we have to make it a story, otherwise it’s just a scene where one of them is like, “Oh hey, I found this. Moving on…” You want to make it worth the wait.

AG. Yes! Especially after the first three or four years—Eric Kripke would say that every year they thought they were going to get cancelled. We don’t have a for-sure tenth season, but if I were a betting man, I would say yes. We have a good chance.

RT. There’s a very good shot.

FM.You have your core fanbase, now.

AG. Yep, it’s the fanbase. They show in the numbers. If we continue to get good ratings, I don’t see any reason to stop the show, personally. Even at the signings today, so many fans showed up. That’s what’s so awesome about doing SUPERNATURAL. I went to Singapore and did a signing there. To be part of something like this is really special. We’re trying to realize that in the moment while we’re living it, not later when we look back. We both feel very lucky. And now if they’ll just invite us to Supernatural conventions…

FM. [laughs] You’ve never been invited to conventions?

RT. No, we never have.

FM.I’m amazed that it’s big enough to actually have its own conventions.

RT. It’s crazy! They have a bunch of them, and they’re really amazing. We hear all about them on Twitter!

FM.Can you tease anything about the upcoming season BEFORE the panel happens?

AG. Anything to tease. Um… the brothers… will fight evil. Drive a hot car. And probably deal with demons and angels and monsters.

Comments

It’s great when the writers pay attention to the fandom as a whole and not just those who shout the loudest. I hope and pray that they bring back the SAMULET — the show is about the brothers; it has been from the start and it will be to the end and both the Js have said that themselves many, MANY times. Sorry if that ruffles any other fans feathers… *ahem*… but that’s the simple truth of it.

Having the samulet back, with a good backstory on top of that would be awesome. It would make for angsty emotionally broments supernatural style. That’s what we like, and what kept the show running for so long <3. Really hope you manage to bring it back!!

This was an excellent interview! I was so pleased to see that Robbie and Adam appreciate the significance of Dean’s amulet, to both Sam and Dean, and to the fans. It symbolizes their brotherly bond, which, as all fans know, is the heart and soul of Supernatural. The majority of fans would love to see it come back. Its return would reaffirm the commitment Sam & Dean made to each other in Sacrifice, that they will never put anyone or anything before each other. As Jared and Jensen have said many times, this is what Supernatural has been about since it premiered almost 9 years ago, and what it will always be about. I know that Robdam will do a great job with the episode featuring the Samulet’s return!

The return of the Samulet is a long time coming. It was never about the amulet’s alleged supernatural quality, it was a symbolism of the brotherhood between Dean and Sam, the heart and soul, respectively, of the show.

Bringing the Samulet back would be an absolutely WONDERFUL thing. It had so much meaning and represented what the brothers’ relationship is all about. Sam and Dean are the heart of the show and the story is all about them and losing the symbol of this relationship was such a heartbreaking thing for so many fans. We would love to have it back and for Sam to hand it to Dean and tell him he picked it up out of that trashcan and kept it all these years because it still means the same thing to him that it did when he gave it to Dean when they were kids. If you do decide to bring it, I hope you do it justice and make it about the brothers only. I will cross my fingers that we will see it again.

I’m ok with no amulet. The brother’s bond doesn’t need a symbol like that. I’d rather they just work on making the bond healthier. The amulet was a symbol of an absent father, a parent/child bond, which is not the bond I prefer between Sam and Dean. Though it did admittedly help with cosplay. But if Jensen didn’t like it flying about in his face, even more reason to say whatever to it then ya know.

I didn’t realize Mr Glass had a hand in the Suicide Squad, that is amazeballs. And sucks that the writers aren’t at fan conventions, that’s a crime.

Hello Monster Kids! Use the form below to sign up for our Daily Story Updates. By doing so, you will receive daily notices of the top new stories that have been added to the FM site.

Hello Monster Kids! Use the form below to sign up for The Official FM Newsletter. By doing so, you are opting in for Famous Monsters to send you email newsletters informing you of the latest FM magazine news, cover reveals, and new products on Captain Company.